By the Numbers

South Carolina:

• More than 150,000 residents have earned Career Readiness Certificates (CRCs)
• More than 800 jobs have been profiled
• More than 250 employers recognize, request, or require CRCs from job applicants

Greenville:

• More than 7,200 individuals have earned CRCs
• More than 75 employers in the region recognize, request, or require CRCs from job applicants

The Greenville Region Workforce Collaborative has generated funding pledges of $1.9 million over two years to help build foundational skills training for job seekers in transportation manufacturing.

“It has been very refreshing to see so much cooperation among many different levels and sectors. When it comes to bringing a better quality of life to Greenville County, all of the groups involved in the collaboration are aligned with the goal to provide our employers with a skilled workforce.”
—Tamela Spann, community investment manager, United Way of Greenville County

How One Partner Connects People to Jobs

Nearly every day for three months, Terry Culbertson stood outside the SC Works employment office in Greenville telling those waiting in line about WorkKeys.

“I asked how many of them wanted to work for the high-tech companies that are coming into our area and looking for qualified workers. Then I explained that most area employers request or require applicants to take WorkKeys and that the assessments could help open doors,” said Culbertson.

As a corporate trainer and facilitator for Lifelong Learning at Sullivan Center, Greenville County Schools, Culbertson is passionate about connecting people to jobs. Her agency, which provides academic and pre-employment education and training opportunities for adults to achieve success, is one of several organizations involved in the Greenville Region Workforce Collaborative’s Career Skills Now program.

She encouraged those standing in line to sign up for a class that prepares them to take the Applied Mathematics, Locating Information, and Reading for Information WorkKeys assessments. She and two fellow teachers offer training on the skills tested by the assessments during Monday through Thursday morning sessions that conclude with the administration of WorkKeys on Friday.

“Many of the people we work with have been laid off from jobs in manufacturing, particularly in the textiles industry, and have been out of school for many years. They tend to shut down when told they have to take a test to get a job. I explain how the class makes taking the test easier and how WorkKeys can help them get jobs faster.”

As a result of her efforts, thousands of people have inquired about WorkKeys, and many have signed up for the class, which has become so popular that there is sometimes a waiting list to get into it.

Over a five-month period ending December 2011, an average of 84.5 percent of Lifelong Learning class participants had earned WorkReadySC Career Readiness Certificates.

Culbertson and colleague Ann Nickles, coordinator of workplace programs for Lifelong Learning and also a teacher, attribute their success to the personalized attention offered to participants. They give pretests to determine participants’ readiness for the class and refer those not meeting requirements to the Greenville Literacy Association, which provides a more in-depth WorkKeys preparation course.

They focus on one subject at a time, working with participants to provide whole class instruction and one-on-one assistance to help them master the skills. They give practice tests at the end of each day. Classes are kept at about 20 to 25 participants per week-long session.

“What we do more than anything is build self-confidence. People tell us how we helped them overcome their anxieties about taking the tests and how well prepared they felt,” said Nickles. “We have a lot of success stories about people using their certificates to obtain wonderful new jobs.”

Other Agencies Contribute Funding, Services

Several community agencies have partnered with the Greenville Region Workforce Collaborative’s Career Skills Now program. In addition to Lifelong Learning, two other agencies offer WorkKeys preparation classes: Goodwill Industries’ is five half days and uses instructors from Lifelong Learning, and the Greenville Literacy Association’s is six weeks. The agencies administer WorkKeys assessments on the final day, and participants can also take the tests at the SC Works office in Greenville.

United Ministries, Greenville Housing Authority, Greenville County Department of Social Services, and Sunbelt Human Advancement Resources, Inc. provide services ranging from pretests to computer access to career counseling. A grant from United Way of Greenville County is primarily funding staff efforts to recruit, train, and provide WorkKeys assessments.

“Our ultimate goal is to move people to work. People cannot be financially secure or stable if they don’t have employment. We want to address the barriers that cause people to become unemployed, and we want to help our employers be able to find qualified workers,” said Tamela Spann, community investment manager, United Way of Greenville County.

Several other organizations have provided funding, including Appalachian Regional Commission, Community Foundation of Greenville, Greenville Area Development Corporation, Greenville Chamber, Greenville County Workforce Investment Board, Greenville Technical College, Hollingsworth Foundation, Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation, National Fund for Workforce Solutions/Social Innovation Fund, readySC, SC Appalachian Council of Governments, and AdvanceSC through a Greenville County Schools Lifelong Learning grant.

Other groups, such as churches, libraries, resource centers, and urban leagues, are helping to spread the word about the program and providing access to curriculum that helps people master the WorkKeys skills. Most services are open to the public at no charge or for a nominal fee.

“A lot of time, effort, and attention are going toward preparing people to take the WorkKeys assessments and earn the highest scores possible,” said Laura Harmon, project director, Greenville Works.